Is visiting ancient Mayan ruins on your bucket list? The Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour during your cruise port day to Costa Maya may be the perfect option for you! In this post, I’ll give you information regarding this tour and why it may be the right choice for you.
I’ve included a few helpful tips, and of course, the Worrier’s Guide so that you have quick access to the details that us worrier’s need. 
Cruise passengers have several options for visiting Mayan ruins. The most popular of which is Chichen Itza located in the Yucatan State of Mexico. Chichen Itza is one of the largest Mayan ruins and is listed as one of the 7 Wonders of the World.
Who wouldn’t want to check that out?
Our daughter was set on a Mayan Ruins tour for our recent cruise. In fact, we chose our itinerary because of the opportunities for a Mayan Ruins tour experience. As a cruise passenger, logistics can play a strong roll in your cruise port excursions. While options were available at two of our ports, Cozumel and Costa Maya, the logistics of choosing Chichen Itza from our port in Cozumel just wouldn’t work for our group.
We were a diverse group of 8, ranging in age from 17-72 which varying levels of mobility. To tour Chichen Itza from Cozumel we would need to take a 45+ minute ferry ride from Cozumel to mainland Mexico. From there, we would take a 2-hour bus ride to Chichen Itza. That’s just one way!
Considering all of the travel time, we would only be able to visit the ruins for approximately an hour. Call me lazy but that just seemed like a LOT of work, for one hour. Chichen Itza will remain on our wish list but it will have to for a time when we have a smaller group to manage. 😉
We chose the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour available from Costa Maya.
Why?
The Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour gave us the best balance of a large exhibit with a reasonable amount of travel time. There were also other contributing factors that made this tour ideal for our group.
Here we go!
Morning tour option
We had plenty of time following the tour to explore the port area, head to the beach or just leisurely make our way back to the ship without feeling rushed. It was also more pleasant as we were wrapping up our tour as the sun was directly overhead. We left the cruise port at approximately 8:30 and returned about 1:00 p.m.
Most of our group was ready to head back to the ship when we returned. But, some of us stayed in the port and explored the shops, bars, and pool area.
Tip: In the morning, and as tours begin returning in the afternoon, the port is extremely busy. Give yourself plenty of time to walk from the ship to the tour meet-up area.
The Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour had excellent reviews
I did my homework and while many travelers squabbled over the ease/intensity of the walking, the vast majority recommended the tour. Reviews can be tricky. One person’s “perfect day” can be “exhausting and irritating” to another. So, I always take reviews with a grain of salt. I tend to focus on specific details such as travel times and noted levels of professionalism. By the way, our guide was extremely professional and very educational.
Coach Bus for a comfortable ride
While this, at times, can be a negative because it indicates a large tour group, it really suited our needs. The bus was air-conditioned, comfortable and even had a restroom. I don’t believe anyone in our group utilized the restroom but in my experience, if it’s there…you won’t need it. If there isn’t a restroom, guess what…you need one!
Additionally, my husband, father, and father-in-law are all 6 feet tall and built like football players. So, the idea of shoving our group into a mini-van for the hour drive didn’t feel like it would go over very well.
If you’re the planner of the group, like me, you learn to minimize any opportunity for complaints. 😉
Cruiseline sponsored excursion
For me, there always needs to be a compelling reason to book an excursion through the cruise line. In this instance, there were a few. First, it was a new port for us. There was a couple of hours of transportation involved which always adds a layer of “what-ifs”. And, finally, half of our group is blessed in years and have varying levels of mobility. So, it was the “safe” bet.
Overview of Chacchoben Mayan Ruins Tour
This was a great tour! Normally we shy away from large group guided tours but, in my opinion, this was the best way to experience the ruins. The bus ride, with driver Luis, was comfortable and the time passed fairly quickly.
Our tour guide, Deana, filled us full of information about the area on the way. There was no snoozing on the drive to the ruins. Our group decided that she may have been a teacher in a previous life. We teased about her “lessons” a bit but she was great!
She was excellent about informing us, keeping our group together and giving us ample time to take photographs. As chatty as she was en route to the ruins, she was mostly quiet on the return enabling a few people to catch a little cat nap.
Great size and accessibility to the ruins
The overall Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour area is fairly compact so you don’t feel like you are walking for miles but there are several large ruins to see and areas to explore. The most crowded area was the entry point where there were a small tourist shop and restrooms. This was also the parking area for several large buses. The tour itself was well spaced among the groups.
There are two areas where you are allowed to stand on the ruins and take photographs. All others, climbing is not allowed. (But, you are up close and can touch the others) One of which is the first image in this blog post. The other is a very steep stair climb.
Check out my Instagram feed for that image and many others from our Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour and Costa Maya cruise port.
Chichen Itza is still on our wish list so that we can check that “wonder of the world” box but the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour was a great experience and a good excursion value.
Worrier’s Guide:
- Guaranteed ship return booking through the cruise line (purchased on sale in the cruise planner for $86p/p)
- Restroom on the coach bus and well as at the entry point of the ruins
- Be mindful of uneven walking surfaces throughout the grounds
- Plenty of shade & benches to take a rest if needed. I recommend Skin So Soft Bug and Sun protection.
- Guides are excellent at spacing groups out and giving time to each of the tour groups for photos, etc.
- Cash tips for both the tour guide and the driver were casually mentioned and promptly and graciously accepted.
- Depending on the ship’s dock position it can be a long walk down the pier and through the port area to meet your tour. Give yourself plenty of time!
- Like most port areas, the Costa Maya Cruise Port has tourist pricing and items seemed quite expensive, including cocktails.
Fun Fact: Costa Maya is not on a map of Mexico. The cruise lines developed the name Costa Maya for the port area. The nearby town is Mahahual, Mexico.
Interested in more posts from our Western Caribbean Sailing? Check out our cruise port days in Nassau, Cozumel, and Roatan.
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Happy Travels!
Jillian
